I'm addicted to cereal, mint ice cream, and nooooodles! But not together, that'd be weird. I have crazy curly red hair, which has led to many a debate over my ethnicity. I’m married to the most incredible man in the world, who happens to love my mysterious hair. I love LOVE, good style, and creativity...and people who love love, good style, and creativity! Oh, and I love bright colors!
Feel free to take a look around the blog, check out my favorite sessions in the Featured Posts section, and stalk follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Oh, and I also love comments! I mean, c'mon, who doesn't? :)
Welp, my husband isn’t home, my cats are napping, and I still haven’t figured out how to watch the Olympics online…so it’s time for another installment of Dilly Dally Day! :) Today, in honor of the Olympics, I watched a cat beat her personal record for climbing a door…12 times. Look, it’s only 10 seconds long…don’t judge me!
I also rediscovered my love for “Baby Villain!” I rediscovered my love about 15 times! This video is only 9 seconds, so I had to even the playing field.
Speaking of babies, I really really (no, really) want a baby so I can feed it lemons. Not necessarily my own baby…I’d be happy to babysit. F’reals though, my mouth is watering so bad…it’s like my tongue is afraid I’m going to feed it a Warhead.
And lastly…Pine-Sol. So much more than just a really yummy spelling cleaner.
Megan-I’ve been reading your blog for a couple of weeks now (I found you through East Coast Bride)… you are so talented! I love all of your pictures. But this post had me laughing for the last 20 minutes! I think I watched the videos 10 times each! Thanks for giving me a much-needed laugh after such a stressful week. :)
Cassi Claire-Yay!! I’m so happy someone else was able to get a kick out of these funnies! I was just dying of laughter…I must have spent a good hour rabbit trailing through YouTube! And thank you SO much for commenting and following my work, that means so much to me! xo!! :)
The smell of Starbucks coffee filled the air as I frantically connected to the free wi-fi so I could show off a vimeo slideshow upon her arrival. I don’t know why I was so anxious, but I couldn’t wait to meet Christine! She was referred to me by another amazing photographer, and I really wanted her to like me! I knew the second she walked in the door that we would get along great! I hugged her right away and we immediately started talking like old friends. Christine has such a sweet nature, and she was so organized and put together. Paul was sick that day, so I didn’t have the pleasure of meeting him until their wedding day. But wow, he is EXACTLY the type of guy I pictured. So fun and full of smiles, such a positive attitude and fantastic spirit! Paul says that his favorite thing about Christine is that she packs his lunch and snacks everyday (hahahaha), which Christine rightfully translates to her being caring and considerate! I love this couple, and their wedding at The Bethwood was gorgeous!
Christine’s gorgeous lace dress…stunning on the hanger, but even more stunning on the bride! Just you wait…
Christine’s mom is a true Renaissance woman! Not only did she do her daughter’s make up, but she made or enhanced almost every accessory for Christine! See that headband? Her mom made it! She also embellished her shoes, crocheted adorable bride and groom bears, made her garter, crocheted the ring bearer pillow, etc. I want to be her when I grow up! :) Oh, and she has an eBay store with lots of hand-crafted jewelry…time to go shopping!
Thank you Kristina Rose for the great photo of Paul getting ready! I love his smile!
This was my tear-jerker moment of the day. As Christine began walking down the aisle, I turned around to get a shot of Paul’s face…and instead I found Christine’s beautiful sister…I had to blink the water out of my eyes after seeing this moment.
We were all so thankful that the rain held out! I felt a drop or two during the ceremony, but prayed them away! :)
Love love love this shot of the kiss that Kristina got from the back! So beautiful to see everyone’s reactions…
Favorite moments of the day…just look at their joy!
Seriously? Tyra, are you taking notes on this “smize?!”
Woop, there it is! Look at the back of that dress…oh Lawdy…stunning!!
How cute are those easel table numbers??
I love all the purple up-lighting and gorgeous centerpieces!
I am so excited and honored to have Dan and Gill’s wedding from this past May featured on The East Coast Bride. As soon as I got in my car at the end of their wedding, I knew this couple had put together a wedding day full of beauty that just had to be shared! Gill decorated her whole day in blue and blush, with lots of lovely personal details. Thank you Keri and Krista at ECB for sharing this wedding with your readers! :)
It’s a good thing their wedding day weather was nothing like their proposal day weather! On the morning of Hurricane Irene’s arrival, Brendan decided that a bike ride would be a good idea! Against Jaimie’s will and the storm clouds brewing above, the two mounted their bikes and rode through Valley Forge Park. After a little while, they came across a huge tree…a tree that Brendan claimed to be the oldest tree in all of Pennsylvania! Jaimie thought, like most sane people would, that he was being totally absurd, but because she loved him she still got off her bike to investigate his claim. When she turned around, there he was down on one knee. She was absolutely shocked! And about to be completely soaked! But Jaimie says it was the best bike ride home in a hurricane EVER! :)
Luckily, they had the complete opposite weather for their big day! You know the type of day I’m talking about…sunshine with a splash of cool breeze, no humidity, a big blue sky – the kind of light that just makes every color “pop!” Which was pretty perfect for Jaimie’s tangerine orange, light peach, and navy blue wedding! I love, love, love the rustic tone of their day – thanks in part to The Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort!
How gorgeous are these bouquets by Bloom by Melanie!? I just couldn’t get enough of them! So pinworthy!
Seriously one of my favorite photos of all time! Look at all that happiness and beauty!!
This is Lauren – Jaimie’s BFF forever – who also happens to occasionally shoot weddings with me! Love her!
Special thanks to my fantastic friend and photographer Jaine for getting these shots of the guys! Jaine owns Brklyn View Photography and has been my partner in crime here in Brooklyn!
I was so excited when Jaimie and Brendan opted to do a First Look! These are always some of my favorite photos ever! Just look at the joy on Brendan’s face as he sees his bride for the first time…you can’t beat that! :)
So much fun, with so many great friends! What an awesome night!
All of the best parties are completed by a photobooth! Phil of Cool Pix Photobooth was so awesome! He let me sneak my camera in for a couple of super fun shots! I just love people and their goofiness so much! :)
Kristina Rose -such gorgeous photos! loved each and every one!
Cassi Claire -Thank you so much love!! It was the perfect day! :)
Dale Polizzi-Jack -What absolutely gorgeous photos! Jaimie O’Sullivan what a beautiful bride!
Lori Jacobsen Staup -It was a GREAT wedding! Thanks for having me to your perfect celebration! Loved sharing your special day! Love both of you!
Jennifer Breitz Koch -A wonderful day! Love you guys!
Cindy Williamson Mathis -Gorgeous photos!
Steph Dee-I LOVE this wedding! Especially love the detail and bridal party shots. Thanks for sharing!
Cassi Claire-Yay! Thank you so much Steph!! This is one of my favorites…so many great colors and details! And a gorgeous couple! :)
The Potting Shed -What a beautiful job Mel.
alicia maes -Where did the guys get those ties?!!!!!!!!!
Get to Know a Wedding Photographer: Cassi Claire Photography | WeddingLovely Blog-[...] That’s tough. If I had to pick from all of the one’s I’ve shot at so far, I think my favorite is the Shawnee Inn in PA. It has a GORGEOUS outdoor ceremony location, beautiful cabins to get ready in, and more! Feel free to check out the wedding I shot there this summer. [...]
The annual WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International) event held in Las Vegas is the mother of all photography conferences. It is a week-long event that combines educational seminars with a ginormous trade show and networking events. It’s basically a big ole photography nerd-a-thon. Or so I’ve heard! I’m hoping that 2013 will be the year for me to finally hop on a plane, arrive to the city of flashing lights, geek out with other photographers, and party like it’s 1999.
In the meantime, I got to hang out at WPPI’s baby…WPPI-U. It’s like M&M minis. Smaller, but still full of yum! Speaking of food, I judge all events by the food provided (what can I say, I’ll always be that chubby 4th grade kid at heart!)…and this place so won with its create-your-own-giant-tasty-sandwich bar and unlimited pickles and cookies! Mmm, now I’m hungry.
I saw Lindsay on creativeLIVE in May, so I felt like we were already BFFs (not weird at all right?).
Sigma was one of the sponsors, so they had some lenses for me to play with…Amy so graciously let me use her as my model as I tried out their 85mm 1.4. Amy, you are the best ever! Thank you so much for opening your home to me (slumber party holllllaaa!) and chauffeuring me around for those two days. You have no idea how much I appreciate it!
A little while back I blogged about my church here in Brooklyn because I took some updated photos of my pastor and his family for their prayer card. I’m happy to say that our church is growing and we’ve since added an associate pastor! Kevin and his wife Kristi joined us a few months ago, and now it is their turn for updated prayer cards! I am so excited to get to know this couple more. I know that Kevin is a fantastic worship leader, and Kristi has been working overtime with the women of the church. Kevin and Kristi, thank you so much for all that you do and will do here with Cornerstone Church!
In 4th grade, we teamed up on every class assignment. In 5th grade, we dressed up as Romans to present our sun dials at the science fair – togas and baby powder in our hair (that surely didn’t help our popularity!). In 6th grade, we swam at your grandma’s/aunt’s pools almost every day while day dreaming about Leonardo DiCaprio and Devon Sawa. In 7th grade, we spent hours dreaming about what it will be like to be 8th graders. In 8th grade, we spent hours drawing our perfect wedding gowns, our perfect grooms, and our perfect future homes.
All through high school we gushed over who we thought was the “hottest” – and I’m pretty sure we have our top 10 list lying around somewhere! We got giddy when we liked someone new, and we got sad when we realized how awful they really were. We wondered if we would ever find “our guys.” We knew our chances with Leo and Devon were pretty slim. But this year…this wonderful year…is the year my best friend has found her Mister. Brianne (Bree, Bee, BZ, Breezy, Biffle, Beans, Ber-ner-ner-ner), you have been there for all of my moments. You liked me even when I still had a horrible afro and all my “baby fat.” You let me play the Sims on your computer when no one else would. We invented a whole new way to play UNO (just split the deck and leave one card in the discard pile duh!). We passed notes between almost every class in high school (I still have a whole box full in my closet somewhere). We wasted who-knows-how-much gas money driving around, windows down, music blaring…inventing dances for every song that played!
You cried with me when I tried on my wedding dress, and came with me to every fitting. You listened to all of the ways I fell in love with him. You came with me to every silly bridal expo, and signed my name up for all the prizes. You helped me put on my dress, told me how proud you were and that I was the most beautiful bride you ever saw. You stood next to me every step of the way, and you will always be my BFF4EAEAEAE.
And now, I get my chance to be there for you. You are the most adorable, fun, loving, kind and sweet person I know. Joey, you are the luckiest man alive to have my BreeBee. And she is luckiest girl to have you. Especially since your last name starts with ‘Z’ – she will legally be “BZ” now!! Thank you for that! So, my first duty as your Maid of Honor was to document your love with some gorgeous engagement photos. I am so so unbelievably happy that you have found “your guy!” I love you!
I have a crush on this barn!
Check out that BLING! He knows her well…
Oh hello stunning! I really hate that you are such a supermodel.
Brianne -Swoop,
I hate that you know exactly what to say to make me cry! (haha) These pictures are phenomenal! Not only are you an amazing photographer but you are an amazing, fun loving, sweet, beautiful, creative, caring person that I get to call my best friend. We have been close as we can be for approximately 16 years! (holy moly macaroni!) And we are getting closer! We have always stayed attached to each other’s hip. Even when we were in different classes in HS, you moving all the way down to Miami for College then all the way UP to COTW and we never changed. Like you said, we have dreamed and pictured of our “adult” lives and couldn’t wait to grow up fast to see what our future holds. Now we are living our dreams! We both found our boys who we love unconditionally and will spend the rest of our lives with. I’ll always remember when I stood there, crying, watching you as beautiful as you are, rushing to the alter as fast as you can to be right next to your then hubby-to-be and be the next Mrs. G! (Hey! That rhymes!) I watched you plan your whole entire wedding and not once complained about one thing. I thought to myself, “Wow! I can’t believe that she has the strength and the passion to plan everything herself.” I couldn’t be more proud. You inspire me. You always have. I loved being there for every single event you wanted to go to for your wedding. Loved watching you try on those dresses and just had my jaw drop of how gorgeous you are. Now, time has past. You just celebrated your 1 year wedding anniversary and it is like you and Chris just got married! I hope Joe and I are like that. No. I know we will be just like that. I am so excited that you are apart of our wedding. Helping us out as much as you can. Shooting an awesome engagement session. Coming down to as many events as possible. I cant wait to watch you cry at the alter as Im walking down the aisle, CRYING. lol. I cant wait until we have babies and they can be best friends! (or possibly an arranged marriage?! We will talk…) Hopefully, you and the MR. will move closer! I miss seeing you everyday and gossiping. I miss playing uno on a daily basis and watching you smack your head on the table. I miss watching you fall on your face and me uncontrollably laugh at you. Without asking you if you are ok (HAHAH IM STILL LAUGHING! LOLOLOLOL) Anywhooser, You are an inspiration. You are an amazing person inside and out. I love you so incredibly much. Thank you for being such a wonderful friend. Seriously, I really do not know where I would be without you.
Amy Rizzuto-I love this post Cassi! Such sweet emotion!
Cassi Claire-Thank you so much Amy and Tricia!! :)
Jess Pontes -These are so pretty! Where is the barn? My fiance grew up in the Newton area…just curious. =]
Cassi Claire-Aw thanks Jess!! I’m not sure where exactly this barn was as I was being chauffeured around! But I know it’s the barn where Joe’s dad grew up, so I’ll check with him! :)
Meep! I’m so in love with my new business cards! I have loved Moo since my very first batch of business cards a few years ago, but they recently released their new Luxe Business Cards and I’m convinced my life will never be the same! :)
I am a mega-believer in having/offering the highest quality items to represent my business. From the albums I offer to the gear I use…to the tiny little cards I hand out to strangers! And sometimes that means paying a little extra, but it’s totally worth it! Yes, you could get like 4,000 business cards from VistaPrint for the same amount I paid for 250 cards…but to me a card has one purpose: to impress. Okay two purposes: to impress and to get my contact info into their hands.
It is so fun to hand someone a card and hear “Oh wow, these are really nice!” And because it is a really nice card, it makes me think it has less of a chance of ending up in the nearest trash can! Hey, a girl can dream right?
Another reason why I am a lover of Moo…their packaging. How stinkin’ cute are these stickers?
And these boxes?? Love the purple ribbon and I adore the “wax seal!” It gets quote-marks because it’s not real wax. But c’mon that would be crazy!
Oh, hello high-quality storage box! You were completely unexpected, and I totally love you! Like the black trim on the outside of the cards? That’s actually its own layer of paper! These cards are made of 3 layers of quality cardstock smooshed together…is that how you spell smooshed?? Smushed? Schmuuuuushed??
And here are my new cards! Love that I was able to custom design them to match my branding! And no I am not the world’s biggest narcissist (maybe 2nd biggest?)…I put my photo on my cards because I am frequently passing them out at networking events where we are all meeting dozens of people in a short amount of time. I can safely say that I won’t remember half of the names I am introduced to, but I will remember the faces. Maybe it’s because I’m a photographer and I think in photos, but I’m sure I’m not the only one out there! Anyway, thank you Moo for constantly being on the front line of quality products! :)
“I taught Gillian many things…and one of those things was to never date your boss. So what’d she do? She married the boss!” said Gill’s dad during his toast. Dan and Gill (pronounce “Jill”) met about 4 years ago while working for GramercyOne in NYC. They quickly became friends and after about a year, they started dating. The combination of getting to know each other while living together in Brooklyn and possibly having to relocate their life to California, started them thinking seriously about the next step of their relationship. And last March, Dan popped the question over drinks at The Standard – a swanky NYC bar! Which makes perfect sense considering Gill’s favorite thing about Dan is his confidence – “He can walk into any room and be completely comfortable!”
That was beyond evident on their wedding day. Dan’s contagious laughter lit up the whole room, along with Gill’s beauty! But I’m getting ahead of myself! Let’s start from the beginning, shall we?
Can I just say that Ann Taylor has seriously stepped up their game by introducing a bridal department! I was SHOCKED to find out that both Gill’s dress and the bridesmaids’ dresses were from Ann Taylor Weddings & Events Collection! I can’t wait to go Pin some of their beautiful new styles!
The photo above is Gill’s something old, new, borrowed and blue – gotta love the blue “I do” panties! And on a more sentimental note, the photo below of Gill and her mother’s hands is probably my favorite image of all time. Because my mother passed away when I was young, I am constantly in awe of the beauty of the mother-daughter relationship. This photo brings a tear to my eye, but it’s a good, happy, almost nostalgic tear…
Special thanks to my AWESOME, FANTASTIC, INCREDIBLE, AMAZING second shooter – Kristina Rose! She was such a gem to work with and captured so many beautiful moments. Including these awesome shots of the guys below! :)
How snazzy are those suits from Express? I’m in love with grey…
While Kristina was getting the shots above, I was busy getting these stunning bridal portraits. Gill, you are a beaut!
Just look at those eyes!
Two of my faves from the day…the most beautiful flower girl ever, and the coolest personalized luggage card box!
It was CRAZY sunny outside, but we still found a very pretty spot for their First Look!
Definitely one of the cutest details I’ve seen! Gill had these clutches made for the girls through Joanne from KaraMiaSofia Inspired Designs shop on Etsy. On the inside patch, there was a personal note for each bridesmaid. How lovely!
Love that Dan couldn’t keep his eyes off Gill, even during prayer while everyone’s eyes are closed! So precious!
These balloons were actually a complete surprise to the couple! Aunt Joan arranged them so the children could feel like they were a part of the wedding…and I’m so glad she did because I LOVE BALLOONS! I’m like a 5 year old!
Thank you Kristina for getting that awesome shot of the guys on the right!
Super cute menu’s order through VistaPrint! Oh, see that B&W card on the right? Those were provided by me so that guests can access the couple’s custom photo website (which will be ready soon!). Custom photo websites are a new feature for 2012 clients, and I’ll be doing a blog post on them soon! :)
Each table was identified by a place that Dan + Gill have visited together. Kyle and Natalie at Syracuse Signs designed and printed these super fun custom table cards! Oh, and they also included framed photos of themselves at each location on the tables. So fun!
There is that contagious laughter I told you about!
DJ Yoshi was AWESOME at keeping the party going with great music! Try as I might, I couldn’t stop dancing in my spot…and believe me, I tried. Some people are just not supposed to dance…I am one of them!
And I will leave you with this incredible couple…who caused me to cry for the second time of the day (the first was Dan’s best man/brother’s speech – thanks Chris!). They won the anniversary dance for being married the longest! I wish I could remember exactly how many years (if any of you remember, feel free to post a comment!). The anniversary dance always leaves me hoping and praying that I get that many years with my darling husband Christopher! Congratulations again Dan + Gill! I hope we both win the anniversary dance at weddings 50 years from now! :)
Mikkel-Super cute! Love the photos and all the blue tones!
Cassi Claire-Woo hoo! Thanks Mikkel! I LOVED their colors…so gorgeous!!
Judie-Absolutely loved it and they way you told their story!! Beautiful Cassi!
Lauren Allison -GREAT work CASSI! Pictures look AWESOME! xoxoxo
Lynn Breitz Schwartz -cassie you are EXTREMELY talented :)
Cassi Claire -Thank you both so much!! I loved this wedding! :)
Becky Mulvey -You’re pictures are amazing! I only hope to be as great as you are one day! :)
Judy Bullis -Cassi these are great! You have such an eye for the special moments and those moments that will be embedded in everyone’s minds. I love how you know what the bride and groom would like.
Cassi Claire-Oh my word Beck, thank you so much! That is pretty much the sweetest comment ever! I’m sure you are going to do great! It just takes patience and lots of practice haha! Read that manual girl! xo! :)
kristina rose -Cassi, you are unreal!! so talented, I have butterflies!! What beautiful moments you captured!! it was so amazing to work with you!!! love love love this wedding!
Keri-So SO SO GORGEOUS! ahhhh I want to see more! :)
Cassi Claire -Thank you so much for your love Judes!! xo!
Steph Dee-Lovin all the color in this wedding! And dang, does she makes a gorgeous bride. Beautiful work, Cassi, thanks for the inspiration!
Cassi Claire-Thank you Steph! And Keri, the website will be ready soon so you’ll get to see them all! :) And Kristina, could you be any sweeter? Seriously, I have a smile as big as Texas right now! Thank you so much for the love and encouragement! :)
Wayfaring Wanderer -Amazing images, Cassi! Loved them all!
Kristen Driscoll -I’m impressed, girlie! ;D I love how you caught that guest’s flash and got it to twinkle? Using a filter? :) :) You catch great expressions and I love the cards you give the guests to view the photos! You go girl! <3
Cassi Claire -Ooo I so missed this comment! Thank you so much darling! I really appreciate you taking the time to comment! :)
Cassi Claire -Thank you so much @[500214645:2048:Kristen]!! I actually didn’t have to put a filter over that flash at all (thankfully!) – my camera just so happened to catch it perfectly! I love that shot! xo! :)
THE EAST COAST BRIDE: DAN + GILL FEATURED » Cassi Claire-[...] for the stylish + creative bride Home Featured Posts WEDDING: Brendan + Jaimie WEDDING: Dan + Gill PRESS: Style Me Pretty STYLED: Bachelorette WEDDING: Highlights 2011 Website [...]
I have love-love-loved this bride since her very first email and am SO BEYOND HONORED to know that she feels the same way! Keri is a soon-to-be-July-bride, a blogger bride on Engaged & Inspired, and co-editor of The East Coast Bride (a fantastic resource for all-things-wedding!). Thank you Keri for sharing your love today on Engaged & Inspired…you are incredible and I cannot wait for your wedding!! :)
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Megan - I’ve been reading your blog for a couple of weeks now (I found you through East Coast Bride)… you are so talented! I love all of your pictures. But this post had me laughing for the last 20 minutes! I think I watched the videos 10 times each! Thanks for giving me a much-needed laugh after such a stressful week. :)
Cassi Claire - Yay!! I’m so happy someone else was able to get a kick out of these funnies! I was just dying of laughter…I must have spent a good hour rabbit trailing through YouTube! And thank you SO much for commenting and following my work, that means so much to me! xo!! :)